Thank you to St. Martins Griffin and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Freya gets dumped the day before her wedding in a broom closet. Her wedding was supposed to be the start of "The Wedding Season", a summer of weddings. To help her out, her best friends Ruby and Leo devise a plan of challenges that Freya has to complete at each wedding.

I absolutely loved this book. I cannot tell you the amount of time I laughed while reading this book. Freya was a strong main character, not many people would put a smile on their face, and attend their friend's weddings after going through what she went through. Ruby and Leo were the best friends anyone could ask for. Their relationship is one that I will forever strive for. I absolutely loved all the characters in this book, except Matthew. But he got what he deserved. Twice! Karate kicked and wine-drenched. Her dad and brother are so supportive and you can tell how much they love her. Her mom on the other hand, beats to her own drum. Her other friends all supported her as well. And Jamie, he turned out to be a surprise! This will be one of those books that I wish I could read for the first time again. I definitely recommend it

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.💫/5 (3.5 Stars)
Steam: 0/5, closed door, some kissing

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Thanks to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press for the audiobook/ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I used both the audiobook and ebook to read this book and enjoyed it!
Narration: The Narrator did an excellent job! I really liked their voice,and how they distinguished between characters.

No Spoiler Review 👇🏻

This book follows Freya, it’s the day before her wedding and her fiancé Matthew breaks it off. She was supposed to start the wedding season, all the weddings from spring to summer. She must deal with this massive loss and go to 7 more weddings this season for her friends. Her best friends cheer her up, and come up with a challenge for Freya to complete at each wedding. It’s so hilarious and fun! I giggled so many times.

This book is more of a woman’s fiction book with some romance in the background, but it was still good. This book is about getting over a loss, good friends and having fun.

It was a little slow to start and reads more like a woman’s fiction than romance as it’s tagged(why I gave it 3.5 stars) but overall a fun read. It’s a good light book for summer.

3.75 stars

This one was fairly fluffy but with a bit of substance as well. It was a bit sad but also heartwarming, and it made me literally laugh out loud a few times; it was reminiscent of Bad Luck Bridesmaid in that way, as well as in the way it ended. It seems this book is the latest in the new rom-com trend of happily(ish)-ever-after endings where the protagonists don’t definitely end up with their love interests. I don’t hate that, but sometimes I really do just want an unapologetically blissful and fairytale-esque conclusion. Anyway, it wasn’t my favourite book ever, but I did like it and appreciated the humour. It was a fun read!

3.5 STARS

Freya Scott is dumped by her fiancé, Matthew, the day before her Wedding after a 12 year relationship. She now has 7 other Weddings she has to attend solo. Freya’s friends create a Wedding Season Survival Guide for her which include tasks that she must complete at each Wedding to take her mind off her Ex. Tasks that will challenge her and keep her distracted and help her not think about what she lost.

The first half of this book is very funny and entertaining. The breakup is described so well you will feel like you got dumped instead of Freya 😅 I also loved Freya’s quirky crazy personality. Her attempt at finding a hobby was hilarious. The friendship dynamic she had with Leo and Ruby was fantastic and highlights how important friendships are in time of crisis.

The second half was a struggle for me. It dragged on and off a lot. This book is pure Women’s Fiction so I’m not sure why it was categorized as Romance, because there wasn’t much of that at all. There was no angst, no pining or any real romantic anything. I wasn’t able to connect with Jaime because of that. He wasn’t even in the book much at all until the very last few pages. There was very little character development there. My major issue was Freya kept thinking her Ex would take her back even at 84% into the book. 84%! I gave up all hope for anything romance happening in this book at that point.

I did enjoy the other parts, but the romance part was a no go for me. If you like Women’s Fiction, an engaging break up story, journeys of personal rediscovery, and endless humor…you will LOVE this. If you are looking for a swoon worthy romance to sweep you off your feet (or any romance for that matter) then this will not be for you. Thank you @netgalley for this #ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

As I was reading this book--the story of Freya, whose fiancé calls off their wedding the day before and who now faces a summer of weddings (and the corresponding hen weekends)--at first I was a bit annoyed. "It would be nice if this book was about more than just romance and dealing with a breakup."

But you know what? It really is more than that. Birchall takes us on Freya's journey, which isn't necessarily about her growing as a person, but more about her realizing things about herself and coming to terms with traumas she's experienced. (I'll note that we're talking strained family relations here, not assault.) This is about Freya's relationship with her mother and coping when life makes a sudden turn and how to rely on your friends and dealing with your expectations. For a while, I was vaguely annoyed that the book was solely about Freya's personal relationships, but eventually I realized that it was nice that her work wasn't an issue. She has a job, she's good at it, we get some glimpses of her work life...but that's not the focus of the book. She has a good job. She has good friends! She just needed to get a few other things sorted. Very soothing in that way.

Also amusing. Freya needs to complete challenges at each wedding she attends, but I was mostly amused at random asides scattered throughout the book. Between this and The Secret Bridesmaid, I'm definitely interested in what Birchall does next.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Oh how I deeply enjoyed this book - it was so hard to set down. It is a tender story of friendship, healing after a painful breakup and the power of falling in love with yourself and who you want to be. The characters are all so vivid and delightful, and feel like whole people instead of the caricatures they could have easily become. The premise of following our protagonist and friends through a wedding season when many in their friend group are saying ‘I do,’ felt relatable and engaging and just plain fun. I was so surprised with the depth of mg enjoyment of this story!

“There’s nothing like the friendship kind of love, is there?”

This is a romance with a twist. After Freya is dumped the day before her wedding, she bands together with her friends to reclaim the joy in her life. The story explores true friendship that stands the test of time and that brings you joy. There is lots of comedic fun as the characters find exciting ways to live life to the fullest. Freya is able to find someone else to begin a relationship with and have an opportunity for a new beginning.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for this arc.

Going into this, I was expecting a fun, wedding themed romance. What I got instead was a heartfelt story of self-discovery.

While not a true romance, overall I enjoyed this one. It wasn’t amazing, but it also wasn’t the worst. Pretty solid book that I could see myself recommending as an easy read.

3.5 stars rounded up

I love this sweet story, being in the wedding industry this was such a heart warming love story and had you routing for the main character the entire time!

Can you imagine being dumped by your fiancé the night before the wedding? Well, neither can Freya, until Matthew does just that after being together for 12 years. Luckily, Freya can rely on her friends to help get her through what they call the “wedding season”.

Hilarity ensues as Freya and her friends enact their “to-do” list of absurd tasks Freya has to do at each of the six weddings she has to attend over the summer. And, of course, she might even meet a man who can appreciate her togetherness and sarcastic personality.

I loved this book so much! It had me laughing at so many parts and left me with a huge smile at the end. There are so many great scenes in here and I absolutely adored Freya. Channeling my inner Brit, it was bloody brilliant!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced

3.5/5 stars

I really enjoyed The Secret Bridesmaid. So I was very excited to read The Wedding Season.

I was expecting this book to be a rom-com. And while there were some very funny moments. To me this reads much more like women's fiction. This book was much more about Freya's journey and despair than romance.

The narrator is 32 year old Freya (1st person POV). The book is definitely about weddings. And most of the book takes place in the UK.

This book was really not what I was expecting. I think that if I had read the book blurb then I would have had a better idea that this book was going to focus a lot on Freya's heartbreak and sadness. And that was honestly too much for me. It was definitely realistic. But I really wish that the focus of the book had been lighter.

There was some romance in The Wedding Season. But I really wish that romance had been a much bigger focus of the story.

The supporting characters (Freya's friends) were epic. Especially Ruby and Leo. And the weddings were actually super fun. I loved the outrageous tasks that Freya had to do. And I really adored Jamie. I just wish that he had been a much bigger part of the story.

Overall, I did enjoy the last part of the book. The characters were fun! And the title and cover were great! I just wanted the story to continue after that last chapter. As that is the story that I really wanted to read.

I picked up this book thinking it would be a romantic comedy but I was completely mistaken. This is a story about self growth and self discovery with just a dash of romance on the side.

Freya Scott got dumped the day before her wedding by her now ex fiancé, Matthew. After 12 years together, Freya now has to come to terms with her new reality as a single woman and tackle seven of her friends' weddings (the wedding season) by herself. That's when her two best friends decide to put together a Wedding Season Survival Guide - a list of challenges to keep Matthew out of Freya's head and push her out of her comfort zone.

Overall the book was well written and it had some funny moments, but I just wasn't engaged enough in any of the characters to say I really loved this book. The love interest was introduced a little too late in the story for me and I didn't feel much of the chemistry between them.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My heart broke for Freya the way she was broken up with. I couldn't even imagine how heartbreaking that would be. Reading her journey from heartbreak to coming to terms with it all and finding who she is alone, is a beautiful and funny one. The tasks her best friends gave her were great and some hilarious and exactly what she needed to survive the summer. They really helped her step out of her comfort zone and keep her mind off of her heartbreak. With the added support of her father and brother, as well as other friends, she was able to make it through the wedding season with only a few tears and meltdowns. This book shows the strength someone can show in their hardest and darkest times with the support of their loved ones. It also shows how you can repair broken relationships with family and move forward to live in peace. While I found some parts of the book a bit dry and slow, I overall really enjoyed it. It was sweet, funny and emotional.

A wonderful lighthearted read! Freya is dumped by her fiance', Matthew the day before their wedding. Left spiraling and devastated, Freya's friends give her a list of distractions to take her mind off the heartbreak and to get her through wedding season. What follows are fun memories, healed family rifts, amazing friendships and a hint of a new romance. Freya rebuilds her life on her terms and ends up happier than she could have imagined. Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the ARC.

When i first began this book, i was in a reading slump. It was hard for me to get started so it took me quite some time to read.

This is definitely a slow burn and there were parts in the book i found to be drawn out and completely unnecessary to the story. At about 60% of the way through the book i didn’t wanna put it down. I was invested.

This is a story that i would love to see made into a movie, and i absolutely want a sequel continuing the ending and where it goes in the future!

Freya is dumped the day before her wedding in a broom closest by her partner of the last 12 years and her wedding was the first of the wedding season of which she had 8 other's to attend to after hers. While trying to live like everything is fine, Freya's two best friends devise a list of things she must do at each wedding to her focus and not feel depressed that she ended up not getting married. Along the way Freya meets someone who also helps forget that Matthew, her ex, destroyed the life she thought she wanted. Overall I really enjoyed this book, at times I was very frustrated with how self centered Freya came across when wanting everyone to feel sorry for her but since I have not been in this situation I can't say for sure that that is not an appropriate reaction. Matthew was a piece of work and I hated every time he was in the book but I loved her best friends and everything they did for her even when one of the weddings was theirs. I grew up watching Friend Green Tomatoes and there is a scene towards the end of the movie where the main character hits a car with her own and yells "To Wanda" because she was tired of being walked on. There is a scene at the end of this book where I wrote the note "To Wanda!" because someone finally got their due! At times this book was sad, happy and encouraging and I loved that. The reason it is not a full 5 star for me is because this book was again marketed as a romance but the romance was on the back burner to her self discovery of who she was and who she thought she wanted to be. There is a romance in this and it was good one and I loved him a lot but again it was not the main focus. Thank you St. Martin's Press for my #gifted copy for review.

Freya and Matthew's wedding is slated to kick off the start of a busy wedding season, but when he dumps her the night before their big day, Freya's friends put together a list of challenges to complete to survive the wedding season.

This was a fun story that focused more on friendships and finding yourself than romance. I appreciated Freya's friends waiting in the wings to help her make the best of a summer of wedding events. At times I was frustrated by her constant flashbacks to her relationship with Matthew, but ultimately realized it was all part of her journey as she recognizes the flaws in their relationship and seeks out what is best for her in life.

Overall it's a fun romantic comedy with a great group of friends and some laugh-out-loud moments and is perfect beach read for the summer.

Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advance copy.

Thank you to Netgalley, Ms. Birchall, and St. Martin’s Griffin for the opportunity to read an ARC of the Wedding Season. An honest review was requested but not required.

There was actually quite a lot happening in this book, which at first glance looks like the literary version of cotton candy. The Big Breakup, the entire grief cycle following, and Freya’s fraught relationship with her mother were delved into quite a bit more than I would have expected based on the bubbly description and tropically colored cover. Freya’s fiancée, Matthew, calls off the wedding on the morning of, and although he technically doesn’t call the entire relationship off (at least, that’s how Freya reads it), it’s clear to the reader that they’re over – he’s just too much of a chickenshit to break it entirely off. Freya must recover from the loss of her partner of 10 years AND negotiate an entire season of weddings (which sounds silly but I do recall having several years in my late twenties/early thirties with four or five weddings each. Very expensive years, those).

This is definitely a British rom com, what with all the mention of hen dos and stag parties and marquees (tents?). Both the bachelor/ette parties and the weddings themselves are more plush and destination-y then 99% of the ones I’ve attended, but perhaps that’s a UK thing.

I really liked the way Freya’s friends pulled together to support her. The way Ruby and Leo were so involved in her recovery efforts, I was dreading that something would happen with their wedding, but, and this may be sort of spoilery, I was very happy to be proven wrong. The Wedding Season challenges were a bit gimmicky but I enjoyed Freya’s repartee with her friends so much it was easy to overlook. I also enjoyed her relationships with her Dad and brother, and, I suppose the Wedding Season challenge also helped Freya mend fences with her mum, which was beautiful.

My favorite part of the book, though, was Freya’s post-cancelled-wedding walk through of her now empty apartment, being furious that Matthew took her favorite frying pan and the house plant and that he might have touched her face cream, and absolutely wrathful that he made off with all the tupperware. LOL. This is so totally spot on. Forgot the Bridget Jones-style sobbing and ice-cream binging and huddling in bed! Freya’s righteous rage is so, so relatable. I laughed out loud.

I recall enjoying Ms. Birchall’s previous book, and I’d like to note that that ALSO featured strong female friendship. If anything Freya is even more well off than Sophie (MC of the Secret Bridesmaid in that department): the scene with Freya and her friends in the restaurant – I don’t want to spoil it – is the scene of every wronged woman’s dreams. Ms. Birchall is clearly an author who clicks for me. This is a story I won’t hesitate to order for my library, nor to recommend to readers looking for a fun romance with some grit.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded down.

When Freya is dumped the day before her wedding her life plan goes up in flames. Her wedding was suppose to kick off the start of the summer wedding season where she has like 7 or 8 weddings to attended. This book follows her throughout the wedding season and the challenges her friends gave her to help distract her.

If you’ve ever been through a long term relationship ending than the grief and healing process Freya goes through will be totally relatable. I thought the author did an amazing job writing what it is like to deal with all the emotions that you’re flooded with.

I loved the characters and Freya’s friends were great!

Book: The Wedding Season
Author: Katy Birchall
Pub date:5/3/22
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Review~

The Wedding Season is an amazing book. Freya is so excited for her wedding but then her fiancé calls of the wedding.

Freya and her friends come up with making a wedding season task so she can get other about the wedding. She has so much wedding to go to.

I love how this book shows personal growth and it is okay to take as much time that you next to get through something.

Jaime was my favorite charter he brought the best out of Freya.

Overall this book was amazing and so funny to read. It was a very funny and entertaining book. I definitely recommended reading this book!!